Disney’s Strategy Is Clear
Well, the cat’s finally out of the bag.
After literally years of speculation, rumors, and innuendo, Disney has finally confirmed an open secret.
Animation Courtyard will close. In its place, Disney will modernize the land into something more appealing.
In the process, we lose a connection to a vital piece of Disney history, although I expect Disney to treat it well.
To a larger point, Disney’s strategy is clear. If you’ve been paying attention, you understand the idea.
Let’s discuss Disney’s latest moves to maximize its theme parks.
Disney History Repeats Itself
Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
By now, you’ve probably heard. Disney will close Animation Courtyard on September 25th.
This themed land has remained a staple of Disney’s Hollywood Studios since opening day in 1989.
Disney Wiki
In a way, its presence reflects how much the theme park veered from its original plans.
Opening day at Disney-MGM Studios Theme Parks proved odd for multiple reasons.
Photo: Wikipedia
For starters, despite both their names being on the brochure, Disney and MGM were suing each other.
That’s how quickly the whole project collapsed into legal warfare. And it negatively impacted the park.
Hollywood Studios was notoriously lacking in attractions at first, and some of the originals were…not fully formed.
Disney and Universal Studios Florida, its competitor that arrived the following year, had the same idea.
Photo: Disney
Both wanted guests to “ride the movies,” although Hollywood Studios didn’t have many rides at the time.
Animation Courtyard was supposed to be a place where guests could learn how movies were made.
And the opening day attraction there was something called…The Magic of Disney Animation.
Yup, we’re going back to the future at Hollywood Studios in 2026 as Disney history repeats itself.
Photo: Yesterland
If you visited Walt Disney World from 1989 to 2015, you likely explored the previous experience.
For the longest time, it was the only thing of note to do at Animation Courtyard other than the stage shows.
In 2015, Disney closed the experience to add something more thematically fitting for the new Hollywood Studios.
Disney slotted Star Wars Launch Bay into this building in anticipation of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The Star Wars-themed land wouldn’t arrive for another four years, but Disney wanted fans to think about The Force.
Now, Disney is undoing that decision by returning to the park’s origin, and it’s perfect.
Disney Makes Its Move
Photo: Disney
The new version of The Magic of Disney Animation will modernize the concept.
But this article isn’t about the new themed land, but rather what it represents.
Photo: Disney
For years now, I’ve been telling you that Disney park planners have experienced a philosophical change.
In the past, Disney left well enough alone, fearful of changing classic Disney traditions.
Frozen Ever After
Even if an attraction or experience had clearly lost its luster, park officials left it as is.
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment that philosophy changed, but I suspect Frozen Ever After helped.
Photo: Disney
Roughly a decade ago, Disney closed a wonderful yet largely ignored attraction named Maelstrom.
That boat ride stood out for the fact that it was one of only two rides at the World Showcase.
Photo: Disney
Even so, guests overlooked it so much that Maelstrom was typically a walk-on attraction.
Then, Frozen debuted in theaters, Frozen Fever took hold at the parks, and Imagineers re-themed Maelstrom.
Photo: Disney
The new version of the ride, Frozen Ever After, has remained among EPCOT’s most popular attractions ever since then.
Park officials took note of the fundamental change in guest behavior when faced with a new experience.
Photo: Disney
That one attraction likely played a key role in the complete overhaul of EPCOT itself.
Disney reinvigorated the entire theme park, just as it had with the Norway pavilion.
Image Credit: Disney
Since Disney made those moves, on-the-fly attraction reboots have become a thing.
We’re witnessing it right now with Test Track on the heels of last year’s wildly successful Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
Soon, Disney will do the same thing with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
The New Strategy
Disney’s latest go-to move, the attraction reboot, reflects an awareness of two vital points.
The first is that building an entirely new theme park experience is dramatically more expensive than repurposing existing space.
That’s why Muppets Courtyard had to die so that Monstropolis could live.
Building a full Monsters, Inc. themed land from nothing would have been price-prohibitive.
Modifying the (frustratingly) unpopular Muppets Courtyard into Monstropolis costs substantially less.
That’s Reason #1, but Reason #2 is what really matters here. Disney can always find the money as needed.
Photo: Washington Post
We wouldn’t be getting a Villains Land at Magic Kingdom or a Pandora at Disney California Adventure otherwise.
Sure, saving money helps, but it’s traffic patterns that drive Disney’s decision-making more than anything else.
Photo: skillastics.com
If building a new themed land costs that much, think about how much more Disney must spend to construct an entire theme park.
Yeah, that’s probably a $10 billion financial outlay. So, it’s much easier for Disney to maximize all its current space.
Tomorrowland Speedway
Some of that real estate isn’t currently performing up to its value. And I always point to one specific example.
Tomorrowland Speedway had an average wait time of 16 minutes last week. Contrast that to the attraction’s footprint.
Photo: Disney
Disney is wasting that space right now by having it used by a wildly unpopular, woefully outdated ride.
Apparently, park officials are committed to it, which is maddening to me, but that’s not the point.
Disney runs calculations now to decide whether an attraction/experience is living up to the value of its land.
If not, park officials categorize the area as either in need of retheming or replacement.
Photo:nbjobs.ca
That’s the new math here. Disney is in real estate now.
If a lot isn’t paying the bills, something else must go into the space.
What’s Next?
Photo: Disney
Disney deserves credit for doing something else that’s very smart. Every change comes with a bit of forethought.
For example, Disney could have named the new Animation Courtyard experience anything.
Photo: Disney
Rather than selecting a new name, Disney honored the past. Twice.
One of the play areas in this new building will pay tribute to Alice in Wonderland, the 1951 film.
Photo: Disney
Do you know who drew the illustrations for that movie before production began? Folks, it was Mary Blair.
So, Disney will draw inspiration from Blair’s 1950 drawings to create a new themed experience in 2026.
Bob Iger CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Josh D’Amaro Chairman of Disney Experiences, Ken Potrock President of Disneyland Resort surprise Hank at Disneyland on October 8, his official 62nd service anniversary. Photo: Disney
How great is that? Under Josh D’Amaro’s leadership, the parks have embraced a new mantra.
Even when they move forward with original designs, Imagineers pay tribute to Disney’s storied past.
By adopting this approach, Disney lessens the potential online anger over the changes.
How could anyone be mad about a new version of Test Track that honors World of Motion’s legacy?
Photo: Disney
Would any self-respecting Disney fan express outrage over a park change that injects more Mary Blair art into the parks?
Disney has somehow unlocked a new strategy of enhancing the parks while negating criticism before it even begins!
Photo: Walt Disney Archives
With Destination D23 a month away, this probably isn’t the final announcement in the offing about park changes.
And I expect that most of them will follow this new blueprint for not just plussing the parks but also perfecting the usage of precious Disney real estate.
Photo: Disney
Disney’s strategy is clear here, and it’s a formula for success.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
Feature Photo: Disney
